Start-Up in a Shrinking Market Awarded Economic Development Project

    PORTLAND, OR, December 30, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The GROW project, headed by Jeff Lorton in the Yamhill County Office of Economic Development, is a new idea to feature a diverse group of Yamhill County businesses. The idea is to portray regional quality of life stories through a combination of video, photos and articles on a variety of social media outlets, including Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram to help draw a diverse cross-section of business and industry to the area already internationally known for it's wine and food.

Suite 4 Social, a start-up social media agency located in downtown McMinnville, Oregon and owned by McMinnville resident, Rachel Karl, along with a small group of local professionals, including a photographer, videographer, copywriter, graphic artist, webmaster and a production manager, was awarded the GROW Yamhill County project in early December.

"My team and I are honored to have been chosen to manage the social media piece of this project and thrilled to be a part of such a creative team of individuals to help tell the stories of the incredible individuals, families and businesses we have the good fortune to live and work with in our area," says 37-year-old Karl.

Being in marketing for most of her life, Karl is among a growing trend of fledgling social media agencies that have cropped up around the U.S. in the past few years. Amidst a sea of big-pocket corporations spending millions on advertising, Karl sees her agency as a beacon of light for small businesses with, well, much lower margins and even less left to spend on marketing than their corporate counterparts.

"Every dollar counts for a small business," says Karl who is no stranger to small business. A long-time Oregonian, she grew up in Portland with parents who ran their own small business for her entire childhood and was expected to help on weekends and during school breaks, which was when she developed her flare for marketing out of a necessity to see her parents' business thrive.

"Our goal at Suite 4 Social is to help small businesses succeed and to meet them where their budget is at while at the same time helping them get the most bang for their buck," says Karl.

Being a part of the McMinnville community for over a decade with her husband and their 3 children, Karl says she's excited to help entice "outsiders" to all the benefits that owning and running a business, and raising a family, in Yamhill Valley has to offer.

Although GROW will officially launch in early 2014, Karl and her team have already begun work on the project behind the scenes and are looking forward to seeing the results of the project and the impact that it will have on the valley.

ABOUT SUITE 4 SOCIAL & RACHEL KARL:
Suite 4 Social is a social media and local search marketing firm founded by Rachel Karl in 2008 and located in downtown McMinnville, OR. Suite 4 Social believes that Business should be used as a force for good in the world. That's why they're committed to donating 5% of all of their gross profits to both a local and a global charitable organization each quarter. For more information visit www.Suite4Social.com.

Rachel Karl and her husband moved to Yamhill county in 2003 specifically because of the quality of life the area had to offer them and their children. They have 3 children who all attend Delphian as day students, and both she and her husband own their own businesses as well as volunteer in the community as often as they can. Karl can be reached at [email protected] or (503) 583-2547.

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